


Always

by thelastroseofcintra



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: F/M, I don't work construction, Modern AU, and we will see where this goes, lets try something new
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29052810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelastroseofcintra/pseuds/thelastroseofcintra
Summary: A Modern AU where this legendary duo work in construction and architecture.
Relationships: Calanthe Fiona Riannon & Eist Tuirsach, Calanthe Fiona Riannon/Eist Tuirseach
Comments: 22
Kudos: 22





	1. The Architect and the Contractor

The sound of the Keurig brewing could be heard as Eist laid awake, unable to fall back asleep since waking earlier that morning. He groaned, knowing that meant it was now 5:55am, and that in another five minutes his alarm would sound. He yawned, annoyed that sleepiness suddenly began to try to take hold just as he was about to get up.

Eist climbed from bed after turning the alarm on his phone off before it could blare, yawning again as he slipped a sweatshirt over his head while he padded down the hall to the kitchen where his coffee was waiting for him. He had approximately a half hour to drink, eat his breakfast, and shower before knocking on Crach’s door to wake him for school.

Crach, his thirteen-year-old nephew, was under his care after his mother and father passed away in a car accident. Even now, two years on, a twinge of sadness ran through Eist as he thought of his little sister, Eleanora. Eist sighed as he cracked two eggs into a bowl and began to whisk.

\--

Her alarm sounded suddenly, causing Calanthe to jolt as she sat up. She had been half awake, drifting in and out of sleep as she tossed and turned. Now she sat rubbing her eyes as she fumbled for her alarm clock, desperate to turn off the obnoxious sound. The sun was just beginning to show through her curtains as she stood and pulled on her robe before making her way to her shower.

With a flick of her wrist, Calanthe turned the water so hot it began to steam. She groaned as she quickly slipped off her robe before all but diving into the shower, desperate to feel its warmth on her skin. After washing, she wrapped her hair in a towel and dried herself before heading downstairs. While she filled the kettle and then subsequently flicked the switch on, she glanced at the clock. It was 6:15am. Pavetta had to be woken by 6:30am, otherwise there wasn’t even a prayer that she would be ready in time for school.

Pavetta was fourteen now and it had become rather difficult to wake her in the morning. It didn’t help that Calanthe was on her own, desperate to raise her daughter that she felt she no longer understood. She sighed as she poured the boiling water into her coffee press before sliding two slices of bread into the toaster.

\--

“Crach!” Eist called as he knocked on his nephew’s door. “Are you up?”

“Yeah.”

Eist chuckled at the sound of his nephew all but falling out of bed with a thud.

Afterward, he returned to his room where he began to dress. He had a meeting, well it was more of an interview really, at Cintran Architecture and Design this morning, the leading firm in the area. He wanted to present himself well, so he had picked out a dark green cashmere sweater, which also was the last gift his sister had given him. He slipped on a pair of black dress pants then and loafers.

“Crach!” Eist called again, standing outside his nephews’ door while he clasped his watch.

Just then the door opened. Eist muffled his laughter as Crach emerged, dressed for school in sweatshirt and sweatpants with his flaming hair askew.

“You stayed up too late last night, didn’t you?” Eist asked as he noted the dark circles under his nephew’s eyes.

Crach only nodded sleepily.

“You know better than that.” Eist said softly as he ruffled his hair while the pair began to walk towards the kitchen. “You’re going to lose your X-Box if you keep it up.”

“No!” Crach groaned as he tossed his backpack on a chair before sitting in the one beside it.

“Yes, if you don’t start going to bed at a reasonable time.” Eist said as he put a plate of scrambled eggs and sausage heated up in the microwave along with a cup of milk in front of him.

\--

“Pavetta?” Calanthe said softly as she knocked on her daughter’s door before entering. “Come on, darling. It’s time to get up.” She said as she crossed the room until she reached Pavetta and shook her gently on the shoulder.

“No.” Pavetta mumbled as she tried to pull the sheet back over her head.

“Yes.” Calanthe said in return. “I have a big meeting today and I cannot be late for it. Come on, get up.”

Pavetta only jerked the sheet over her head again.

“You are going to lose your X-Box if you keep this up.”

“You wouldn’t!” Pavetta shouted as she quickly sat up.

Calanthe smirked as she glanced over to it under her TV, covered in stickers that she had decorated it with.

“I most certainly would…”

“Fine.” Pavetta grumbled as she stood and began to make her way towards her closet.

A few minutes later, Pavetta made her way downstairs, dragging her feet along with her backpack. While she sat down to a bowl of cereal, Calanthe began to carefully slip her laptop and iPad into her briefcase.

“Will you pick me up from school?” Pavetta asked.

“No.” Calanthe said absentmindedly as she double checked her bag for her laptop charger. “I have no idea how long I’ll be. Just take the bus. Karen will be here at three to look after you till I get home.”

“Okay.” Pavetta said.

Calanthe glanced up, noting the tone in her daughter’s voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Pavetta said as she slid off her chair and carried her bowl to the sink.

“I know when something is wrong.” Calanthe said, moving to block Pavetta from her destination.

“You’re never home anymore.” Pavetta said. “And I don’t like Karen. I’m fourteen. Can’t I be home by myself?”

“No.”

“Then why can’t Aunt Meve watch me?”

“Karen is a perfectly fine sitter. And besides, Aunt Meve lives an hour away.” Calanthe said as she took the bowl and set it in the sink.

Pavetta looked down at her feet then. “I miss you. You’re never home anymore.”

“Hush, I am home plenty.” Calanthe soothed as she bent down as best she could in her pencil skirt to offer Pavetta a hug.

Pavetta backed away, not interested in her mother’s hug. Instead, she went back to the table, picked up her backpack, and headed towards the coat closet. Calanthe sighed as she followed.

She and her husband, Roegner, had divorced a few years ago. Afterward, things were not so bad, at least not at first. Roegner was able to take Pavetta when Calanthe had to work late and it allowed her time to be with her father. When Roegner died unexpectedly, it left Calanthe and Pavetta spinning. Calanthe did not know how to be a single parent and found herself quickly unable to give Pavetta everything she needed.

So Calanthe did the only thing she knew how to do. She worked harder and longer hours, building her company up faster than she had before. Soon she found great success at work, which allowed her the money to buy Pavetta whatever she wanted. What Calanthe did not realize was that she was not making her daughter happy, in fact, she was doing the opposite.

\--

“So, how is school going?” Eist asked as the pair drove together. “You haven’t said much about your classes lately.”

Crach only shrugged.

“Come on, Crach. Give me something to work with.” Eist said. “What’s your favorite class so far this year?”

When Eist glanced over, he noticed Crach was staring blankly out the window.

“What’s wrong buddy?”

“Nothing.” Crach mumbled.

Eist sighed. “I know when something is wrong.”

After a long pause, Crach mumbled, “You’re never home anymore.”

“That’s not entirely true…”

“Yes, it is.” Crach said, finally turning towards his uncle. “All you do is work.”

Eist sighed again. He had been spending more time focusing on his job. To be honest, he didn’t think Crach minded seeing as how he spent most of his time at home in his room, glued to his tv.

“Alright, then how about we do something this weekend, just the two of us. We can go fishing if you’d like, or drive up to the lake house and take the boat out…”

“I miss my parents.”

The comment was jarring and caught Eist off guard, hitting him like a punch in the gut.

“I know.” Eist said softly.

“All my friends at school, all they complain about is how much their moms’ bother them. They are lucky and they don’t even know it.”

Eist nodded as he gripped the steering wheel tightly, not knowing what else to say.

\--

“Are you ready for your civics test?” Calanthe asked, pulling her car to the curb just outside the school entrance.

“My civics test was two days ago.” Pavetta muttered as she opened the door.

Calanthe paused, frowning to herself. Before she could ask how it went, Pavetta was already out of the car and slamming the door shut. For a moment she sat there, pinching the bridge of her nose out of frustration and irritation with herself. A horn honked then, pulling her out of her daze. After giving the finger to the angry mother behind her, she glanced up to see a tall boy with red hair who looked to be about Pavetta’s age walk with slumped shoulders toward the school. As she passed the car the boy came from, she saw a man with dark hair running his fingertips across his forehead.

\--

Cintran Architecture and Design loomed high above Eist as the morning sun glinted off the reflective building. It was massive and designed impeccably well with its windows no doubt taking inspiration from the Chrysler Building’s spire. A golden outline of a roaring lion was on the company’s logo sign just outside the entrance. Eist smirked as he walked past it, just now remembering years ago that some referred to Calanthe as a “lioness”, but he never learned why.

Eist had heard of her before. Her reputation proceeded her. Calanthe was renowned in the field of architecture and also in business, setting up her own firm years ago. There were even times when those who hired her took it one step further and commissioned her to decorate for them as well.

Now as he walked across the marble floor, he realized that despite how often he had heard her name, he was not even sure what Calanthe looked like.

\--

Calanthe’s iPad glowed as she thumbed through the portfolio she had finalized the night before. It was full of pictures, a vision board of sorts, filled with ideas on several different styles and layouts of homes for an up-and-coming residential development. The project was her biggest to date and she had used the opportunity to find herself a new contractor.

Her previous project had been for a luxury hotel downtown, and while it had been a great success, even earning her a spread in Architectural Digest, she had been ready to murder the contractor she was working with by the end of it.

She had heard of Eist Tuirseach before. He was associated with highly successful projects that matched her aesthetic. He was independent, working only for himself and hired sub-contractors to work along with him.

Her intercom buzzed, breaking her concentration.

“Ms. Raven?”

Calanthe sighed. She had told the receptionist repeatedly that she preferred to be called by her first name.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Tuirseach is here.”

“Show him up.”

\--

The elevator was made of glass siding, allowing Eist to look out over the building as it went up to the highest floor. When he arrived at the top, he glanced around quickly, noting the unique mixture of modern and antique design around him. While he was a contractor, solely in charge of construction, he was able to appreciate good design when he saw it.

After being passed from the receptionist to who he assumed was Calanthe’s private secretary, he was shown into a small conference room.

Inside was a woman, whose back was turned to him when the pair entered. Her hair was long and dark with half of it pulled up while the rest flowed in waves down her back. Her sweater was royal blue, her skirt black and tight, ending just above her knees. Her heels were so high that they looked hard to walk in, but she made it look easy when she turned to face him, gliding towards him as she did.

Eist felt his breath catch in his throat. She was so beautiful that it took his breath away.

“Mr. Tuirseach,” Calanthe said, holding out her hand to shake his.

Before she could introduce herself, Eist found his voice. “Call me Eist. And I presume you are…”

“Calanthe.” She smirked as they shook hands before she motioned him to take a seat.

After both declining coffee from the secretary, Calanthe said, “I’ll get right to it. I have been commissioned to design four different model homes for an upcoming residential development.”

Eist nodded. “Where?”

“Northern Parkway.”

“Ahh.” Eist said, strumming his fingers across the table. “A luxury development. Mansions?”  
  


“Yes.”

“Square footage?”

“9,000 to 10,000.”

Eist nodded. “So, I take it you need a contractor?”

“I do.”

“Forgive me, but you don’t already have one?”

“I did.” Calanthe said as she leaned back in her chair. “But he and I parted ways. I found him to be less and less agreeable as time went by.”

Eist chuckled. “What’s his name?”

“Radovid Stern."

Eist chuckled again. “Yes. He is definitely not agreeable.”

Calanthe smiled. She cleared her throat then as she reached for her iPad and opened her digital portfolio.

“Here. This is the vision I’m going for. Did you have a chance to look at the blueprints that were emailed to you?”

“I did.” Eist said as he flipped through the pictures. “Is this reclaimed wood?”

“What?” Calanthe asked, thrown off by the question.

“The table.” Eist said, knocking softly on it while he continued to look at the iPad.

“Yes.” Calanthe answered, her eyes narrowing. “That’s an interesting observation. Why do you ask?”

Eist set down the iPad then before looking into her eyes. “I have a preference for it. And let’s just say I have an appreciation for good design.”

Calanthe’s breath caught in her throat. Eist was handsome with his dark hair and blue eyes that were so hypnotizing that her heart began to race. A small smirk appeared on his face then as he stood, breaking the gaze between them.

“Congratulations. You’ve got yourself a contractor.”

Calanthe smirked as she stood across from him on the other side of the table.

“Good. I’ll have my office contact you with the final dates and send over the AIA.”

“Sounds good.” Eist said as he handed the iPad he was holding back to Calanthe.

“By the way,” She asked, “This may sound like a strange question, but were you at the high school earlier this morning?”

“I was, why do you ask?”

“I just thought I recognized you is all. You looked as though you were having a bad morning.”

“I was. I, uh, my nephew lives with me and let’s just say that raising a fourteen-year-old is not an easy task.”

“Don’t I know it.” Calanthe said through a chuckle. She glanced up then as Eist raised his brow questionably. “My daughter is fourteen as well. I was dropping her off when I saw you.”

“Your daughter is fourteen?”

Eist felt stupid as soon as the question slipped out of his mouth, but the woman standing before him looked far too young to have a fourteen-year-old daughter.

“She is.” Calanthe said.

After an awkward pause which felt like it lasted forever, Eist spoke to break the silence, not realizing that Calanthe had just opened her mouth to speak as well. “Hopefully both of our days begin to improve.”

It was not what Eist wanted to say. In fact, he wanted to tell her that by talking to her, his day had already improved.

For a moment, a flicker of warmth rippled through Calanthe, but the feeling was gone as quickly as it came. She didn’t have time for flirting and had no interest in playing games. She had dated briefly after her separation with Roegner, and each time it only brought her agitation and frustration. She had her daughter to think of and her company to grow. Outside of their newfound professional relationship, she didn’t have time for anyone, even the handsome Eist Tuirseach.

\--

On the way out of the building, Eist pulled out his phone and sent a text to his friend and colleague, Mousesack.

“The residential project is a go. I’ll get you the dates as soon as I have them.”

Ermion Myszowór, called Mousesack by his closest friends for undisclosed reasons, specialized in drywalling, and Eist’s older brother Bran specialized in windows. The three typically worked on projects together, and this would be no different. Calanthe seemed to take a hands-off approach, allowing Eist to hire who he pleased, which was more than okay with him.

When he finally made it to his car, Eist found his mind drifting back to Calanthe. There was something about her, something that made it impossible to stop thinking of the curve of her lips, the small dimple she got when she smirked, how soft her hair looked, or how perfect her posterior looked in the tight skirt she wore.

Eist shook his head then, feeling guilty over his thoughts. He would have to work with this woman for months on end. Getting Calanthe Raven out of his mind was in his best interest, and besides, he had a date that night anyway.

\--

It was after seven when Calanthe finally decided to call it a day. She had made some progress on the timeline she had been creating for the residential project, but in the end did not make as much progress as she wished. Despite her best efforts, she could not get Eist Tuirseach out of her mind, and for the life of her she could not understand why. Sure, he was handsome, but many handsome men had walked through her door over the years.

Pavetta was already in her room when she arrived home, having barricaded herself as she usually did after Karen made dinner.

Now as Calanthe curled up on the couch, tucking her feet under herself as she sipped at her glass of wine and attempted to read, she still found herself unable to focus. She couldn’t explain it, but there was something about Eist Tuirseach.

And whatever it was was irritating her to no end.

After an hour of staring at the same pages with her mind drifting in and out of the present moment, she finally relented and made her way to her bed.

Calanthe had always had a hard time sleeping, and tonight was no different. She had a difficult time turning her mind off and an even harder time relaxing. It did not surprise her that she laid awake, staring at the ceiling as she usually did. Some nights she would close her eyes and count to try to put herself to sleep, but always gave up when she reached 300. Other nights she would roll over and stare out the open window and watch the moon and stars intently as they slowly passed by.

She wished she knew why Eist continued to linger in her thoughts. Occasionally when she thought of him, to her annoyance, her stomach would flutter, and even more rarely her heart burned.

Finally, amid her frustrations with herself, she finally fell into a restless sleep.

\--

Eist stared at his phone, feeling bad about the text he was about to send. He had a date that night with Marie, a woman that a friend of a friend had set him up with. They had met for coffee a week ago, and she seemed nice enough and quickly the two made plans for tonight’s dinner.

But despite how bad he felt about canceling their date, he knew he would feel even worse if he went. It would be a waste of time considering he would be thinking of another woman the entire time.

After sending the text canceling his plans for that evening, Eist ordered a pizza for Crach and himself before the two sat down for a night of video games.

There were two consoles in the house, and one of them was in the basement, and that one belonged to Eist. Eventually Eist and Crach dawned their headsets and soon the pair, along with Mousesack, Bran, and Bran’s son Svanrige were connected and playing Call of Duty. It didn’t matter how much laughter there was or how much fun was to be had. Eist’s mind still wandered back to Calanthe until the shouts of one of his teammates would pull him back to reality.

After ending the game and ensuring Crach was in bed, Eist crawled under his covers. He didn’t mind sleeping alone, but tonight he suddenly felt lonely.

And then his mind turned to Calanthe again.

He felt stupid. Their conversation had been short and professional. He knew hardly anything about her. But then again, Eist supposed that was the point.

There was certainly something about Calanthe and Eist was already more than looking forward to the chance to speak to her again.


	2. Reasons to Smile

“Hey Pavetta.”

A smirk came to Pavetta’s lips.

“Hey Duny.”

She felt stupid as her smirk turned into a lopsided grin, giving away just how happy she was that he was talking to her.

Duny was in her grade and up until this year had been a short, scrawny boy with a buzz cut that never quite seemed to suit him. Over the summer though, Duny not only grew in height, but also began an intense workout routine. Needless to say, he was no longer a short scrawny boy anymore. And, to top it all off, he had grown out his hair which grew in waves and was constantly in need of being pushed out of his eyes.

The two had always gotten along, but Pavetta had never thought of him past being one of her friends before. Now she was surprised at just how much she was beginning to see him as something more.

\--

Crach sighed as he stared down the hall as he shoved his gym bag into his locker. Pavetta was standing with her back against her locker as Duny leaned beside her. She was giggling like mad and Duny was smirking like a fool. There had always been something between them, and Crach knew it. But that did not stop Crach’s feelings.

Pavetta was the prettiest girl in their grade by far and also happened to be the nicest as well. She was complicated, liking her video games as much as she liked hanging out with her friends.

And just like that, Pavetta’s plethora of friends seemed to come out of the woodwork and hung around, quietly gushing over Duny’s flirting with Pavetta.

Crach sighed again as he slammed his locker shut a little harder than he meant too before making his way down to the lunch hall to meet up with his own group of friends.

\--

It was 2:17 in the afternoon the day after Eist’s meeting with Calanthe that the contract and timeline came through his email. His thoughts had been all but consumed with Calanthe all morning, and the afternoon was turning out to be no different. He even considered coming up with a reason to head to her office. Surely he could find a misspelling in the AIA or could come up with a reason to question her timeline.

Eist clicked his tongue though and resisted the urge to get in his car and drive down to Cintran Architecture and Design. He knew his intent would be clear to Calanthe, she was far too clever to believe that Eist would drive to her office for a simple misspelling or question.

He even debated for a moment the prospect of simply calling her up and asking her out for coffee, but that wouldn’t do. Their relationship needed to remain professional.

He was already on his third cup of coffee of the day and found himself tapping his feet rapidly as he skimmed the timeline. It looked to be a standard project, and he was only half paying attention, too wired to truly focus on it. After cross checking his calendar with Bran’s and Mousesack’s, Eist went through the AIA, signing line by line.

By the time he was finished, he glanced up at the clock to see it was after 3pm. Crach would be home soon. After tidying up his desk, Eist made his way out of the small office space he rented and headed home.

\--

The Nespresso machine in the small kitchen inside Cintran Architecture and Design was becoming Calanthe’s new best friend. The constant dosage of caffeine was what she needed to stay awake after another sleepless night and she often wished she could have an IV of it running straight into her veins.

After letting the little glass cup cool for a few moments, she downed the espresso in one shot, not bothering to create an iced coffee as she once would.

“Shit that’s disgusting.” Calanthe groaned as she grimaced at the taste.

“May I suggest that you sip at it, or perhaps mix it with a little milk?”

Calanthe smirked through an eyeroll at the sound of her secretary’s voice.

“Maybe next time, Liz.” Calanthe said before she focused her eyes on her laptop once again.

“Mr. Tuirseach signed the contract. The notification came in a few moments ago.”

“Good. Did he say anything about the timeline?”

“No, nothing has come through yet.”

“Really?” Calanthe said, glancing up to Liz for a moment before returning her gaze to her computer. “If he emails any questions or gives any feedback, let me know, will you?”

“Of course.”

Calanthe sat back in her chair while Liz left her in her office alone, shutting the door behind her. The caffeine was beginning to work and soon Calanthe felt as though little jolts of electricity were running through her. She stood, crossing her arms over her chest as she walked towards the massive window in her office. She stared out it intently, noting for the first time that day just how blue the sky was.

Without realizing it, the sky reminded her of Eist’s eyes.

She scoffed to herself as she walked back to her desk and sat roughly in her chair, annoyed with herself. Plenty of people had blue eyes.

So what was it then about Eist’s that she felt so drawn too?

She leaned back then, staring at the ceiling. She had a job to do and a contract to meet. She didn’t have time for Eist Tuirseach. Hell for all she knew he was already with someone and held no interest in her whatsoever. Over and over she repeated it in her mind, hoping eventually she would begin to believe it.

\--

Pavetta and Duny at lunch together that day, and much to Pavetta’s surprise, he pecked a cheek on her lips as they made their way to their respective buses.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked first.”

Pavetta’s cheeks were burning red, but it wasn’t out of anger or embarrassment. It was due to an entirely different feeling all together.

“It’s okay.” Pavetta said breathlessly.

“I wish we didn’t have to go home.” Duny said, laughing lightly. “I never thought I’d say that about leaving school.”

Pavetta smiled just as she looked up past the lines of classmates getting onto their buses to the strip mall just down the street.

“What if we don’t go home? We could go get a coffee.” Pavetta said, motioning her head towards the Starbucks.

“Are you sure?”

“Why not? I have my mom’s credit card. And we can just get an Uber home once were done.”

Duny paused for a moment before smiling widely and taking Pavetta by the hand as she led them past the buses.

\--

“What do you mean she’s not home?”

Calanthe was all but screaming simultaneously hyperventilating as she stood in her office, her cell phone shaking as she clutched it to her ear.

“I walked down to the bus stop to get her and she didn’t get off. The bus driver told me she never got on after school.”

“Okay, okay, okay.”

Calanthe was whispering, but it was more to herself than to Karen.

“Can you stay there while I call her in case she does come home?”

She didn’t wait for an answer as she hung up and called Pavetta. Maybe Pavetta had to stay behind because of an assignment or a club or an extracurricular activity. Or maybe the girl had detention, which would be a first. Calanthe didn’t care. She just wanted to know that Pavetta was safe.

The phone rang three times, and then Calanthe was promptly hung up on.

She stared at the phone for a second before dialing back, only to be sent straight to voice mail.

\--

“It’s just my mom.” Pavetta said before she set her phone to the side after putting it on do not disturb.

“I don’t mind if you answer it.” Duny said, nodding towards Pavetta’s iPhone as it continued to light up.

“She’s fine.” Pavetta said in a huff. “I’m going to turn it off if she doesn’t stop calling.”

“Did you tell her we came here?” Duny said as he shifted in his seat as he took a sip of his coffee. “Maybe she’s worried.”

“Yeah, she’s worried that for once she is not in complete control of me.” Pavetta said through an eyeroll. “Besides, all she really cares about is her job.”

“I take it you don’t get along well?”

“No.”

Duny nodded.

“Your parents are still together, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That must be nice.” Pavetta said softly. “I miss my Dad a lot.”

“I’m sure.” Duny said quietly. “You are lucky, you know.” Duny said after a few moments as he set his empty coffee cup down.

“And how is that?” Pavetta said sharply. “My Dad died and my Mother is a complete control freak who often forgets I exist.”

Duny took out his phone, setting it on the small table between them.

“You probably have twenty missed calls from your mom already. If I didn’t come home tonight, my parents wouldn’t notice, much less care.”

Pavetta turned her gaze down to her phone as it lit up again.

“I’m sorry you don’t have your dad anymore, I really am. But at least your mom cares about you.”

Once again the phone lit up. And then it lit up again, and again. That was it, the fun was gone, and what both perceived as their first date was over.

“I guess we better go.” Pavetta said as she tossed her empty cup in the trash.

\--

The school didn’t know where Pavetta was. Meve hadn’t heard from her. Pavetta’s best friend, Beth hadn’t seen her since lunch.

Calanthe had barely made it home and was surprised she didn’t get a ticket for the numerous stop signs she drove through without stopping. A slow, steady stream of tears were running down her cheeks, a new one starting each time Pavetta didn’t answer her phone.

This was so unlike her that it was making Calanthe sick. What if something had happened to her? What if someone had taken her? What if she was talking to someone she had met on the internet and had lured her away? She knew she should have put parental controls onto Pavetta’s phone.

Her head was spinning so badly with every worst scenario that Calanthe sat down on the couch as a cold sweat began to run down her back. Just as she typed 911 into her phone, she heard a key inserted into the door.

She made it to the door just as it swung open. In a moment Calanthe was on her knees, pulling Pavetta into her arms. For a while they stayed there while Calanthe breathed a silent thank you over and over while Pavetta stood awkwardly in her mother’s arms as the guilt she felt progressively grew deeper.

“Where were you?” Calanthe finally asked softly as she leaned back to look into Pavetta’s eyes.

“I was just out with some friends.” Pavetta lied.

“I called Beth…”

“Beth wasn’t there.”

Calanthe nodded as she took a breath. “Why didn’t you answer?”

Pavetta’s eyes shifted. “I didn’t see that you called at first…”

Another lie. Pavetta wasn’t used to lying, and she didn’t feel comfortable doing so now. But she knew she couldn’t tell her mother about Duny. She would never be allowed to go on a date, let alone have a boyfriend.

“…and by the time I did I was already on the way home.”

Calanthe stood then. “Please don’t ever do that to me again. You have no idea how worried I was. Anything could have happened to you…”

“But it didn’t.” Pavetta said. “I am sorry though.”

Calanthe nodded as she pulled Pavetta close. “You are everything to me, my sweet child. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Pavetta could feel tears stinging her eyes. It had been a long time since she hugged her mother like this.

“I love you, my darling.” Calanthe whispered.

“I love you too Mama.”

‘Mama’. It had been a long time since Pavetta had called her that and it certainly felt good to hear it.

\--

“How was school?” Eist asked as Crach came through the front door.

Crach shrugged as he tossed his backpack on the ground before beginning to take off his shoes.

“You know, I remember when I was a teenager…” Eist began as Crach groaned. “I remember all the angst.”

“I don’t have angst.” Crach huffed. Eist chuckled as he leaned against the doorframe while he waited for Crach to continue. “There is a girl at school that I like but she doesn’t like me. There, that’s what’s wrong.”

Eist sighed as he nodded. “I’m sorry. I know that’s not easy. Are you sure she doesn’t like you?”

“Yeah.”

“And how do you know?”

“Because she was hanging all over another guy at school.”

Eist nodded again. “Well, there are plenty of fish in the sea.”  
  


“Really? That’s your advice?” Crach asked as he stood.

“Yes, because its true”

“Then what about you?” Crach said as he made his way past Eist to the kitchen and began rummaging for snacks. “Where is your fish?”

Eist sighed as he leaned on the kitchen counter and clicked his tongue. “Well I assume she’s swimming around, looking for her fish just as I am looking for her.”

“This is a weird conversation.” Crach said as he settled on a bag of pretzels.

“Yes. Yes, it is.” Eist said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, tempted to come up with a reason to email Calanthe’s office and ask for a meeting.

While he had been waiting for Crach to get home, Eist had reread the timeline again with more focus this time and found a few questions that he wanted to clarify. The order of the plumbing, insulate, and drywall seemed to be out of order, and he needed to get clarification before partnering with Mousesack, Bran, and the rest of his subcontractors.

The email was quick, asking for an in person meeting tomorrow.

“I thought you like to keep work at work.” Crach said as he leaned beside his Uncle against the kitchen island. “Or are you fishing?”

Eist chuckled through a sigh as he lightly smacked his nephew on the back of his head. “Come on. Let’s get in a little COD before you start your homework.”

\--

Just as Calanthe promised Pavetta that she would try harder to leave work at work, her phone buzzed as an email came through.

Pavetta groaned as Calanthe picked up her phone. “Well, I can’t stop people from emailing me, darling.” Calanthe said lightly as she set down her fork.

“It doesn’t mean you have to answer.” Pavetta mumbled under her breath before taking a mouth full of spaghetti.

At first, Calanthe was annoyed as she stared at her phone and read the email from Eist Tuirseach. She had spent hours on that timeline and was sure everything was right. She flipped through her sent emails until she found her mistake.

“Dammit.” Calanthe muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Pavetta asked.

“Nothing.” Calanthe said, shaking her head.

Upon rereading it, she realized that it was not like the usual condescending emails she received that were laced with misogyny.

“Why are you smiling?”

Calanthe jolted as she looked up at Pavetta, whose brow was furrowed.

“I’m not smiling.” Calanthe said as she looked back down and began to respond.

“Yes you are.” Pavetta said lightly.

Calanthe rolled her eyes as she responded to Eist’s email that they could meet tomorrow, and unbeknownst to herself, she smiled the whole time.


	3. Meant To Be

Another sleepless night came and went, just like all the others had before. Tonight brought with it a nightmare though, and that was not as common.

Calanthe and Pavetta had fallen into water and neither of them could make it to the surface. Then suddenly while Calanthe began to rise, Pavetta began to sink and was pulled out of her grasp all together. The last thing she saw was Pavetta fade away as she sank into the darkness.

She jolted awake, covered in sweat and shaking as she gasped for breath. When she finally got her bearings, Calanthe quickly made her way down the hall and quietly pushed opened Pavetta’s door. Her daughter was sound asleep, curled up tight in her bed.

The alarm clock read 4:37am when she made it back to her room. She laid down for a few minutes before remembering that she was meeting with Eist today. A heavy sigh escaped her as she stood again, too afraid that she would fall back asleep and not wake again in time for work.

The water was steaming as she stepped into her shower and let out a groan as it eased the tense muscles in her back. She took her time washing her hair. It felt good despite how tired she was that for once she didn’t feel as though she was rushing. With a quick check on her phone, she could see that the weather was supposed to be chillier that day than it had been in a while, so Calanthe opted for an oversized dark green cashmere sweater, a caramel-colored leather pencil skirt, and black knee-high leather boots.

“Where are you going?”

Calanthe jumped. “Good God you startled me!”

Pavetta smirked as she made her way into her mother’s room and plopped herself on the bed.

“You’re up a bit early.”

“So are you. Besides, I couldn’t sleep anymore.”

“Ahh.” Calanthe said as she glanced at herself in the full-length mirror. “What do you think?”

“You look nice.” Pavetta said as she noticed the look on her mother’s face. “So, who is it that you’re trying to impress?”

Calanthe raised her brow as she glanced to Pavetta. “No one. Now why don’t you get dressed and I’ll get your breakfast ready.”

\--

“Are you alright, Uncle?” Crach asked as he slowly made his way inside Eist’s room.

“Yes, why?” Eist asked as he yanked a navy-blue sweater over his head.

“There are clothes everywhere…” Crach said slowly.

“I may have changed my mind a few times.” Eist huffed.

In truth, there were more than a few sweaters littered around his room. Everything that Eist put on that morning didn’t seem to suit him anymore.

“Since when do you care this much about what you’re wearing?” Crach asked as Eist slipped his shoes on.

“It doesn’t.” Eist said, desperate to change the conversation as he clasped his watch. “Come on, let’s get some breakfast.”

\--

“Hey Pavetta.”

“Hey Duny.”

Pavetta’s involuntary smirk came again as Duny leaned on the locker next to hers.

“I hope you didn’t get in too much trouble with your mom yesterday.”

“My mom was pretty pissed, but were fine now.”

Duny smiled sadly. “My parents didn’t even notice.” After a few moments, Duny said, “Want to get another coffee today?”

Pavetta paused, frowning. She really wanted to go, but she didn’t want to push her mother either. “I can’t. My mom would kill me.”

“Well, what if you tell her where you’re going first?”

\--

Eist all but sprinted into Cintran Architecture & Design and nearly knocked several people over in the process. He took a moment to calm himself in the elevator, taking a deep breath in an effort to hide his giddiness. It worked, at least a little, but he stilled bounced on the balls of his feet as the elevator made its way to the top floor.

“Ah, Mr. Tuirseach.” Liz said when the elevator doors opened.

He was led to a different room that day, one that was on the opposite side of the conference room. Calanthe sat behind a massive black wooden desk. It was a stark contrast to the rest of the room which was painted white along with a bleached wood floor. Various gold accents decorated the office, all working around the large art deco window behind where she sat. Just before Liz knocked on the door frame, Eist glanced to the right to see various black and white photographs of a little blonde girl.

“Ms. Raven?” A smirk fell on Calanthe’s lips when she looked up to see Eist standing behind Liz. “Mr. Tuirseach is here.”

For a moment, their eyes met and locked with so much intensity that Calanthe’s breath caught in her throat. If she were standing closer to Eist, she would have heard his breath quicken. Luckily, Liz didn’t seem to notice.

“Would either of you like some coffee before you get started?”

“Sure.” Eist said as Liz stepped back and motioned for him to take a seat opposite of Calanthe.

Now that he was inside, he could see there was a table off to the left with four green velvet chairs surrounding it.

“I’ll take some as well.” Calanthe said as she stood and walked around the desk to shake Eist’s hand.

Perhaps it was merely static electricity that sent a jolt through them both, or perhaps it was something more. Either way, they both gasped and took a step back, breaking their contact as Liz shut the door behind her.

“Sorry.” Eist said.

“No, don’t worry about it. It’s the damned dry air.” Calanthe murmured as she motioned for him to sit. “So, I reviewed the timeline again. I mixed up the dates for the plumbing and the drywall to be installed. I can’t believe I did that. Obviously, the plumbing comes first. Will it be too much trouble to move the dates?”

“It’s fine.” Eist said. “I haven’t reached out to my guys yet. It’s no big deal.”

“Good.” Calanthe said, allowing herself to smile.

The door opened then with Liz expertly balancing two coffee mugs on a tray along with milk and sugar to share.

“So, since these are model homes and all, will you be hiring a decorator to finish them?” Eist asked after thanking Liz for the coffee and handing Calanthe a mug before taking the other for himself.

“No, but speaking of, I was hoping I could use your crew to paint and install the appliances.”

“Sure.” Eist said. “So, are you going to decorate them yourself?”

“Yes, that’s the best part.” Calanthe said with a smile.

Eist grinned too. “I take it you enjoy interior design?”

“To be honest, its my favorite part of my projects. I only wish I was able to do it more often.” After a pause, Calanthe glanced at her laptop where she had begun to recreate her vision board in more detail, complete with different purchase options and prices. “Can I show you something?” She asked as she began to unplug her laptop.

“Of course.” Eist said with a smile as Calanthe stood and motioned towards the table with the green chairs.

In once swift motion, Eist was standing and pulling out her chair for her before she even made it to the table, laptop in hand.

“Thanks.” Calanthe muttered softly.

A shiver ran through her as Eist sat and pulled his chair noticeably closer to hers. Her face burned for a moment as her skin flushed. The energy between them was palpable, radiating between the two and drawing them closer together without either one realizing it. He shifted then to lean his elbow against the table and leaned slightly more towards Calanthe, causing another shiver to run up her spine. She had no idea what cologne he was wearing, but whatever it was, it smelled wonderful.

“Here.” Calanthe said, clearing her throat as she angled the laptop towards him. “I’d like to try to do four different themes in each of the homes, all simplistic of course. Barnhouses are popular right now, so I was thinking of including sliding barn doors”

As she spoke, she clicked the right arrow on her keyboard, moving in between different examples of doors she could buy as well as various floor treatments and butcher block counters.

“Then I’d like another to be Scandinavian inspired. I like the all-white with minimal accents…”

Eist smirked as he glanced up to Calanthe, seeing the excitement in her eyes. She really loved interior design, and, based on what Eist could see, she had a true talent for it. He let her go on and on, talking about the differences between each home. He asked questions and noted her excitement growing as he showed his interest. And, he glanced at her ring finger and let out a silent sigh that she was not wearing a ring. Without realizing, Eist had begun to lean towards Calanthe till their knees were touching under the table.

“Sorry.” He muttered as he shifted himself back over, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.

“It’s alright.” Calanthe said, feeling her cheeks flush. “I’m afraid I’ve rattled on for too long anyway.”

“I don’t mind.” Eist said hastily.” He glanced up then at the clock on the wall. It was 11:32am. Eist took a breath, mentally preparing himself for the rejection he was sure he was about to face. “It’s almost lunch time. Do you want to grab a bite to eat?”

Calanthe felt her heart skip a beat. “Sure.” She said, hoping she didn’t sound too eager.

“Really?” Eist was so stunned, so sure that she would say no.

“Yes,” Calanthe said through a light laugh as she stood and made her way back to her desk. “What are you in the mood for?”

“You pick.”

Calanthe paused. “Do you like Vietnamese?”

“Yeah.” Eist said with a grin.

\--

Calanthe was so hungry that she had to stop herself from shoving her pineapple fried rice in her mouth.

“How’s your rice.” Eist said, motioning with his fork as he took a bite of his drunken noodles.

“Good. How about yours?”

“Good. I’ve never been here before. My nephew and I normally order from the place downtown.”

Calanthe nodded as she glanced up to see Eist pick up his drink with his left hand. He wasn’t wearing a ring.

“I’ve never tried there before. I’ve always gone here since it’s on the way home.”

“And where is home exactly?”

“Midland Summit”.

“Those are nice places. Did you build your home yourself?”

“No, but I would love to sell someday and design my own, but it almost seems like a waste now.”

“Why is that?”

Calanthe shrugged. “My daughter is fourteen. I’m sure she will move out at her first opportunity and then it will just be me. Seems like a waste to do all that work for myself…”

“So, you’re not married?” Eist blurted out, eager to confirm what he already knew.

“Nope, divorced.” Calanthe said, holding up her hand to show her bare ring finger. “You?”

“Never married.”

“What about you? Did you build your home?” Calanthe said, changing the subject while hiding her smirk by taking a drink. He wasn’t married, and by the sounds of it, wasn’t seeing anyone either.

Even though she was determined to not enter into a relationship again, it still felt surprisingly good knowing he wasn’t seeing anyone else. Still, the feeling of relief that was coursing through her surprised her. She found herself smirking slightly as she looked into those hypnotizing blue eyes of his. She quickly took a drink then, determined to snap herself out of whatever it was she was feeling.

“No.” Eist said, sighing to himself at the change of subject. “I’m in the same boat you’re in. I’d like to build my own, but since my nephew is the same age as your daughter, I’m sure he’ll want to get his own place in a few years. If anything, I’ll sell and downgrade to something smaller.”

“Can I ask you something a little personal?”

“Sure.”

“Do you find your relationship with your nephew becoming, I don’t know, strained as he gets older?”

Eist chuckled as he took a sip of his coke again. “Oh yes. He’s becoming distant, quiet even. Sometimes it feels like pulling teeth to get him out of his room and other days he’s as social as ever. And now he has a crush on a girl at school who doesn’t feel the same. It has him in a funk.”

Calanthe smiled. “Your nephew sounds like my daughter.”

“So, she’s becoming reclusive too?”

“Oh yes.”

Eist smiled. “God am I glad that I’m not fifteen anymore.”

Calanthe smiled. “I whole heartedly agree. I would never want to go back to that age.”

“What age would you go back too?”

Calanthe paused as she thought. “I don’t know. What about you?”

“I wouldn’t go back. I think I am where I am for a reason. Like we will end up where we are supposed to, you know?”

“You mean like destiny?”

“Yeah, like destiny.”

“You don’t think we create our own destiny for ourselves?”

“I think we do, but I think some things are just meant to be.”

Calanthe’s phone buzzed. She glanced down and noticed it was a text message from Pavetta.

“Does your nephew come straight home from school?” Calanthe asked, staring at her phone.

“Sometimes.” Eist said as he leaned back in his chair. “It just depends. If he wants to hang out with his friends I don’t mind. I just ask that he be home by dinner. Why do you ask?”

Calanthe sighed softly as she stared at the screen. Pavetta had asked if she could go to Starbucks with Beth after school.

“I prefer it if my daughter comes straight home, but now I’m wondering if perhaps I am being too strict.”

“I’m sure you have your reasons.” Eist said.

Calanthe continued to stare at her screen. She didn’t have a reason. She was overprotective of Pavetta and she knew it, although the fact that Pavetta had not come home the other day and not answered her calls still bothered her.

_That’s fine. Be home by 5._

She took a breath as she set her phone down. Letting go was proving to be a really hard thing to do.

\--

“I’m surprised your Mom was okay with this.” Duny said after school as they began the short walk to Starbucks.

Pavetta shrugged as they walked. “She just wants me home by 5. But if anyone asks, your name is Beth.”

“What?” Duny asked.

“I can’t tell her I’m with a boy. She would never allow that.”

“Oh.” Duny said softly. “So, I guess you can’t have a boyfriend?”

Pavetta took Duny’s hand in hers. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”


	4. You've Got It Bad

Eist found himself glancing down at his phone more than usual. It was Friday, about three weeks after he and Calanthe had lunch together. The two had exchanged numbers but had otherwise not spoken outside of a few text messages, all of which were work related.

There were a few times when he typed a text message either asking to get a coffee with Calanthe or take her out to dinner, but each time he hastily deleted them. He sighed as he tossed his phone on his desk before running his hands through his hair.

He glanced at the clock then, seeing that it was a little after 4pm. His work was done so Eist decided to head home.

\--

“We’ll head up tonight. Hopefully we can be on the road by 6:00, 6:30 at the latest.” Calanthe said, glancing at her cousin over the facetime call they were sharing while Calanthe simultaneously typed an email.

“Sounds good.” Meve said as she typed as well. “Listen, while you’re here, there is someone I want to introduce you to.”

“Oh,” Calanthe said, hitting the send button before turning all her attention to the conversation at hand. “And who might that be?”

“Just someone I’ve been seeing.”

Calanthe felt her lip twitch as she stared at her blonde cousin. Was it jealousy she felt? She couldn’t be sure, but she was ashamed to admit to herself that her feelings were not all positive about her cousin’s good news. “What’s his name?”

“Jason.”

“I take it things are going well?”

Meve shrugged. “Well enough. I don’t know. I’ve just been so lonely since Reggie died. It’s just nice to have someone around.”

“I’m sure.” Calanthe said, doing what she could to hide the sadness in her tone.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You haven’t mentioned anyone in a while.”

“You know I can’t stand dating.” Calanthe huffed. “But there is someone, at least I think there is.

Just then the phone on Meve’s desk began to ring. “Damn. This should be a client calling back that I’ve been trying to get ahold of, but we’ll finish this when you get up.”

“Sounds good. See you later.” Calanthe stared at the black screen after she hung up. The idea of dating someone right now sounded daunting, and she still very much felt that she really didn’t have time to have a man involved in her life. But the more thought she gave to it, the lonelier she felt.

As she stood and began to collect her things, she found herself smirking. She knew exactly who she wanted. Her phone lit up then, but it was just a client returning an email. Calanthe sighed, not wanting to admit that she had hoped it was a message from Eist. Surely, he would have reached out to her by now if he was interested.

“Oh well.” Calanthe mumbled to herself as she made her way to her car.

She had thought of messaging him herself, but every time she thought about it, she thought of even more reasons not too. How awkward would it be to have to work with Eist for months on end if he wasn’t interested in her? Or perhaps he was, but what if things didn’t work out? They had a major project to do together. Perhaps it was better that nothing go on between them after all.

\--

“Are you alright, Uncle?” Crach asked as he picked up a slice of pizza.

“Yeah, why?” Eist said.

“You’ve been staring at your phone for weeks. I don’t even look at my phone as much as you have bene lately.”

Eist snorted. “I, uh…”

“Who is she?” Crach interrupted.

“You’re rather perceptive.” Eist grumbled as he picked up a slice for himself. “She’s someone I met through work.”

“So, you have a girlfriend now?”

“No.” Eist said, choking on his pizza. “No, she’s not. We just work together.”

“Really? That’s funny because you don’t act like this with other women from work.”

Eist glared at his nephew before balling up a paper napkin and chucking it at him.

\--

“You didn’t tell me we were going to Aunt Meve’s this weekend.” Pavetta groaned. “I wanted to have a sleepover at Beth’s.”

That was a lie of course. Well, it was a partial lie at least. Pavetta did plan on spending the night with Beth and then the day with Duny on Sunday.

“We go every other weekend, you know that.” Calanthe said. “Pack your things. I want to get on the road by 6:30.”

“Why can’t I just stay with Beth this weekend?”

“Because I said no.” Calanthe said, sharpening her tone. “Now come on, you always like visiting your Aunt.”

Calanthe jumped when Pavetta slammed her door so hard that the wall shook.

“Pavetta, unlock this door right now.” Calanthe said, her voice low as she attempted to turn the knob.

“I don’t want to go!”

“Pavetta. I am going to count to three. And if you don’t unlock this door by then than you won’t have a door.” With that the lock was unlatched and the knob turned, allowing Calanthe to enter. “Don’t you ever slam your door in my face again.”

“Why do I have to go?”

“Because I said so!” Calanthe yelled back, losing her patience. “I’ve had enough of this. I mean it Pavetta, pack your bag so we can get going.”

\--

“Are you alright?”

Eist blinked at the sound of Mousesack’s voice over his headset shortly before he felt a kick into his side. While he was sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him, resting on the coffee table, Crach sat on the opposite side of the couch with his feet facing his uncle.

“I’m fine. Why?” Eist said as he pulled the pillow from behind his back and tossed it at Crach.

“Because I’ve just killed you for the sixth time in a row.” Mousesack said.

Eist sighed as he glanced back over at the television screen.

“He’s fine, Mousesack,” Crach said smartly. “He’s just a little distracted.”

“And why is that?” Bran asked just before sneaking up behind Mousesack in their private Call of Duty match and shooting him.

“It seems my Uncle has a crush…”

“No, I don’t.” Eist interrupted.

“Who is she?” Mousesack said.

“Has my little brother found himself a girlfriend?”

Eist let his head fall back against the couch as he let out a sigh. “I don’t have a crush on anyone.”

“Yes, you do.” Crach said under his breath. “You’ve got it bad.”

“Come on, who is she?” Mousesack asked again.

“It’s no one.” Eist said as he caught the pillow that Crach flung back at him.

\--

“So, what’s going on with Pavetta?”

Calanthe took a breath as she sipped at her wine while leaning back in her chair. She and her cousin Meve were sitting in her living room close to the roaring fire, each with a full glass of wine. Pavetta had stormed upstairs upon their arrival, barely saying hello before she did so.

“I don’t know anymore. One minute she’s fine, the next she’s in a mood and doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

Meve nodded. “Boy troubles?”

“No.” Calanthe scoffed. “She’s not allowed to have a boyfriend. She’s not old enough.”

Meve rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her own wine. “She’s fifteen, Calanthe. And you and I know damn well you had a boyfriend at her age.”

Calanthe frowned. It was true, she had dated in high school, and each boyfriend had been carefully hidden from her parents.

“Pavetta wouldn’t do that.”

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree you know.” Meve said.

Calanthe sighed. “I’m not ready for her to grow up.”  
  


“I know.” Meve said softly. “Do you want me to talk to her?”

“No, it’s alright.” Calanthe said. “It’s best to give her till morning to calm down.”

\--

“I’m sorry my plan didn’t work out.” Pavetta whispered into her phone as she crawled into bed.

“It’s alright.” Duny said. “There is always next weekend.”

“Yeah. But maybe we could get coffee again on Monday?”

“Sounds good.” After a pause, Duny continued, “So, you’re just going to bed?”

“I was going to watch Netflix for a little first.”

“And what are you going to watch?”

Pavetta smirked as she opened her laptop. “Why, do you want to watch something together?”

“I guess that sounds pretty lame, doesn’t it?”

“No, it’s sweet.” Pavetta said. “Turn on Netflix, I’ll start a watch party awhile.”

“And what are we watching?”

“Have you ever seen Ragnarök?”

\--

Eist felt awful as he climbed out of bed in the morning. The only way to get Crach, Mousesack, and Bran to stop giving him a hard time the previous night was to snap at them. Needless to say, it sucked all the fun out of Call of Duty. The look on Crach’s face made it even worse, causing a knot of guilt to form in his stomach.

As he sat down at the table that morning with his coffee in one hand and his phone in the other, Eist let out a deep breath. After taking a few sips, he turned his attention to his phone, wondering to himself why he was still hoping against hope for a text from Calanthe.

_“What am I doing?”_ Eist thought to himself. _“You’re a grown man waiting around for a text message…”_

The sound of Crach’s footsteps pulled himself out of his thoughts.

“Morning.” Crach said quietly as he opened the fridge.

“Morning.” Eist said back as he glanced over to him. “Listen, I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

“It’s okay.” Crach said with a shrug as he pulled the milk out of the fridge before grabbing a box of cereal. “I’m sorry I told Uncle Mousesack and Uncle Bran that you have a crush on someone.”

Eist snorted softly. “I don’t have a crush.”

“Then what would you call it?” Crach asked as he poured corn flakes into his bowl.

“I don’t know.” Eist said softly as he glanced at his phone again.

“Did she blow you off or something?”

“No.” Eist said. “We work together and we had lunch a few weeks ago. I thought we hit it off but apparently I was wrong.”

“So, you’re waiting for her to text you?”

Eist glanced up at Crach. “Well…”

“I’m confused. If you want to hear from her so badly, why don’t you text her?”

Eist narrowed his eyes. “Because we work together, and I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. Besides, she might not even be interested.”

“Did you ever think she might be feeling the same thing?”

Eist opened his mouth to speak before closing it again.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Crach said as he continued to eat. “Just text her. What’s the worst that will happen?”

“And say what?” Eist asked as he sat forward and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Well, good morning would be a start.”

Eist let out a chuckle at that. “Since when did you become so good at giving advice?”

Crach only smirked as he finished his bowl.

“And what about you? Have you talked to that girl anymore at school that you like?”

Crach’s smirk fell. “No. It’s a lost cause.”

\--

“You know what I realized this morning?” Meve said as she flipped the pancakes on the skillet.

“Hmm?” Calanthe hummed as she glanced at her phone.

“We didn’t finish our conversation from yesterday.”

“What conversation?”

“The one where you were about to tell me about a certain someone.”

“Oh.” Calanthe said. She had hoped Meve had forgotten about that. “It was just a lapse in judgement.”

“What?” Meve said through a light laugh. “I know you too well. You don’t have lapses in judgment.”

“My entire marriage was a lapse in judgement.” Calanthe said under her breath.

Meve sighed. “Come on. You wouldn’t have mentioned that there might be someone if there wasn’t.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Calanthe said. “We had lunch together a few weeks ago and that was pretty much it so clearly he isn’t interested.”

“How did you meet?” Meve asked as she put a plate of pancakes between the two of them while Calanthe poured them both a cup of coffee.

“Work. He’s a contractor.”

Meve nodded. “So, you’re working together but you haven’t spoken?”

“Well, we’ve spoken, but only through a few text messages, and only about work. I don’t know, I just thought there was something between us. And now as I say it out loud, I realize how stupid that sounds.”

“It doesn’t sound stupid.” Meve said. “Have you tried reaching out to him?”

“No. We work together. The last thing I want is to seem pushy or make him feel uncomfortable.”

“Did you ever think he might be thinking the same thing?”

Calanthe sighed through a glare at her cousin. “I’m going to see if Pavetta is hungry.”  
  


Meve let out a laugh as Calanthe stood. “Oh Calanthe, you’ve got it bad.”

“I do not.” Calanthe said as she smacked Meve on the arm. “And don’t you mention this to Pavetta either.”

\--

Pavetta opened her eyes slowly, feeling heavy as she woke. She winced then, closing one eye as she reached towards the cord to close the blinds. A knock came at her door then.

“Pavetta, are you awake?”

She sighed as she reached for the cord and tugged on it, only to hear a thud.

“Crap.” Pavetta said as she leaned over the bed to pick up her phone which had fallen to the floor.

She smiled when she turned it over. She and Duny had been on the phone for over seven hours and counting.

“Duny?” Pavetta said as softly as she could into her phone.

He could still be asleep, or maybe wasn’t near his phone, but either way Pavetta quickly hung up the call as her doorknob turned.

“Oh.” Calanthe said, startled to see Pavetta awake and standing. “I thought you were still asleep.”

Pavetta shrugged. “I just woke up.”

“Do you want some breakfast? Aunt Meve made pancakes.”

Pavetta sighed as she nodded and walked around Calanthe to head downstairs.

\--

“Have you heard from her yet?”

Eist looked up from his phone to see Crach standing in front of him.

“No,” Eist said, shifting over on the couch to make room for Crach. “I haven’t reached out yet.”

“What are you waiting for?” Crach asked as he sat.

“She might be busy.”

“That’s a pretty lame excuse.”

“I don’t even know if I should text her or call her. Hell, I don’t even know what I would say at this point.” Just as Crach opened his mouth to speak, Eist continued, “And don’t say good morning because I already have that part down.”

Crach laughed. “What do you want to say to her?”

Eist sighed as he leaned back. “I want to tell her that I had a good time with her at lunch and I would like to get to know her more.”

“Well, my work here is done.” Crach said as he stood. “And I would call. I feel like people your age don’t really text.”

Eist picked up the closest toss pillow and chucked it at Crach just as he walked out of the living room.

\--

“Whatever is going on, it’s definitely about a boy.” Meve said.

Calanthe glared at her cousin. They were outside, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather, sunning themselves on the raised deck while Pavetta laid out by the pool with oversized sunglasses on and her air pods in.

“And how do you know that?”

“Or maybe she’s into girls. Either way, I’d say Pavetta has it just as bad as you do.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t have anything.”

“Keep saying that, Calanthe. Maybe if you say it enough you convince yourself that you don’t have feelings for this contractor of yours.”

Calanthe sighed. “His name is Eist.”

“Ah, so he does have a name.” Meve mused playfully. “Just call him already and be done with it.”

Calanthe rolled her eyes just as her phone began to chime.

“Oh my God.” Calanthe said as she jolted upward.

“What?” Meve said as she sat up.

“It’s him.” Calanthe said as she stood and crossed to the other side of the deck.

Calanthe took a breath before she answered the call. “Hello?”

Her voice was shaky, so she took another breath to calm her nerves. It didn’t help.

“Good morning.” Eist said, feeling an immense amount of relief that she even picked up the phone in the first place.

After a pause, Calanthe said, “Good morning. So, what’s going on? Did something come up with the development?”

“No, no.” Eist said, scrunching his face up with frustration. “No, I, uh, just wanted to call and let you know that I had a nice time at lunch the other day.”

Calanthe smiled as she bit her bottom lip. “So did I.”

“Glad to hear it.” Eist said, feeling himself begin to grin like a fool. “Listen, I was thinking, can I take you out to dinner sometime?”

“Okay.” Calanthe said as she scrunched up her nose and smiled.

“When are you free?”

“Well, I’m at my cousins house right now…”

Calanthe turned at the sound of snapping fingers behind her.

“Go home tonight!” Meve said, whispering as loud as she could.

“Hang on a second, will you?” Calanthe said before covering her phones microphone with her palm. “I can’t go home tonight. I’ll never get a sitter this late on a Saturday to watch Pavetta.”

“She’s fifteen. I’m sure she can look after herself for a few hours.”

“This coming from the person who is convinced she has a secret boyfriend.”

“Fine, leave her here. I’ll drive her back tomorrow.”

Calanthe paused. “Are you sure? It’s a long drive.”

“I am perfectly capable of driving a few hours.”

Calanthe smiled as she lifted the phone to her ear again. “Sorry about that. I can be free tonight if you’d like.”

Eist was now grinning so widely that it burned his cheeks. “Yeah, tonight would be great. Would you like me to pick you up? Or I can meet you if you prefer?”

“If he’s asking if he should pick you up, tell him yes.”

Calanthe turned again, wishing she had something to throw at her cousin.

“You can pick me up. I’ll text you my address.”

“Alright, does six work?”

“Sounds good. Where are we eating?” Before Eist could speak, Calanthe said, “It’s your turn to pick.”

“Do you like seafood?”

“Yeah.”

“Seafood it is.” After a brief moment of both of them grinning silently into the phone, Eist said, “Well I’ll pick you up at six then.”

“Okay.” Calanthe said. After taking a breath, she said quietly, “Eist, I’m really glad you called.”

“So am I.” Eist said softly. “I’m sorry I didn’t do it sooner.”

“It’s okay. I’ll see you at six.”

“Okay.”

Calanthe took a breath as she turned with a huge grin on her face.

“Tell me again that you don’t have it bad for Eist.” Meve said with a smirk.

Calanthe rolled her eyes as she crossed the deck. “Okay maybe I like him a little.”

“Says the woman with the huge smile on her face.”

“Okay, maybe I like him a lot.”

“Well, I hope so because you’re getting dinner and hopefully a hot night of…”

“What are you talking about?” Pavetta asked.

Calanthe and Meve turned to see her standing at the top of the steps leading from the pool.

Calanthe sighed. “I’m going to head back home tonight. Aunt Meve will bring you home tomorrow.”

“Why can’t I go home with you?”

“Come on darling, you and I can go see a movie together.” Meve said.

Pavetta glanced sadly from her aunt to her mother. “I don’t understand. Why can’t I just go home with you?”

“I was just asked out to dinner and we will be out late.”

“I can stay home by myself.”

“Pavetta, please.” Calanthe said as she stood and took both of Pavetta’s hands in hers. “Please just stay with your Aunt. I really want to go to dinner and if you are at home by yourself, I will do nothing but worry about you the whole night.”

Pavetta glared. “Well as long as you get what you want, right?”

With that she stormed off back inside and up to her guestroom.

Calanthe was fuming as she turned around, only to be stopped by Meve. “I’ll deal with her. You need to pack.”

\--

Eist was still grinning as he began to call Mousesack. After a few rings, he heard a hesitant “Hello?” on the other end.

“Hey.” Eist said. “Listen, I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have yelled like that.”

“It’s alright.” Mousesack said. “I’m sorry we teased you the way we did.”

“It’s fine.” Eist said. “About that actually, I kind of have a date tonight so…”  
  


A chuckle came from Mousesack. “Do you want me to watch Crach?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure.”

“Can he spend the night?”

“Oh, it’s that kind of date.” Mousesack said.

Eist sighed. “I don’t know how late we will be out, that’s all.”

“Sure.” Mousesack said through a laugh. “That’s fine. So, what’s her name anyway.”

“It’s, uh,” Eist said hesitantly, “Calanthe.”

“Calanthe? As in Calanthe Raven? As in the architect who hired you as her contractor?”

“Maybe.” Eist said slowly.

“Of all the women you could fall for, you picked the one that just hired all of us?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Mousesack chuckled, “Well have fun. Just let me know what time you’re dropping Crach off.”

\--

“I think I’m old enough to watch myself for a few hours, you know.” Crach said as he tossed his backpack into the back of Eist’s Audi A6.

“I’m not sure how late I’ll be.” Eist said as he climbed into the driver’s seat while Crach got in beside him.

Crach laughed. “I’m not stupid. I’ve been home when you’ve brought dates home before.”

“It’s not like that.” Eist said.

“Well hopefully this one is nicer than the others.” Crach said. “What’s her name anyway?”

“Calanthe.” Eist said. “Calanthe Raven. Her daughter is your age and goes to your school actually.”

Crach’s jaw dropped. “You said her last name was Raven?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”


	5. Dinner and A Movie

Crach’s jaw had dropped so low that Eist was worried it would hit the floor of his car.

“What’s wrong?” Eist asked as he glanced over at his nephew.

“Remember when I told you there was a girl at school that I liked?”

Eist glanced at Crach as he stopped at a stop sign. And that was when it hit him.

“Don’t tell me I’m about to go on a date with her mom.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure you are.”

Eist sighed. “I’m sorry Crach. I didn’t realize…”

“It’s fine.” Crach said, cutting him off.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Crach said. “Plenty of other fish, right?”

\--

It was just after 3pm when Calanthe arrived back home. The drive had been miserable and all she could think of the entire way was Pavetta. After jumping in the shower, Calanthe tried calling Pavetta’s cell while she sat down at her vanity. When Pavetta didn’t answer, she then reached out to Meve.

“So, are you getting ready for your hot date?” Meve asked playfully.

“You love tormenting me, don’t you?” Calanthe asked as she began to rub her moisturizer into her skin.

“Maybe a little.”

“I tried calling Pavetta, but she didn’t answer.”

“She’s probably still asleep. She went up for a nap a little while ago.”

“Oh.” Calanthe said softly. “Well, what are you two going to do tonight?”

“There wasn’t a movie she wanted to see so I’m going to take her down to the mall. Hopefully I can get her talking and figure out what’s going on.”

“You don’t have to do that you know.”

“I know,” Meve said “But I’m worried about her. She went up to her room a couple hours ago. When I went up to check on her, I could hear her crying through the door.”

“She was crying?” Calanthe asked. A chill ran down her spine as she stood. “I’ll leave and come back right now…”

“You’ll do no such thing.” Meve said. “Let me take her out. Well get some dinner, do some shopping, and hopefully I can get to the bottom of this.”

Calanthe stared at the phone silently. How selfish had she been to drive back home, leaving her daughter, all so she could go on a date?

“She’ll be alright, I promise.” Meve said. “Enjoy tonight. It’s obvious how much you like him.”

Calanthe sighed. “Yeah.”

“Do you want me to have her call you when she wakes up?”

“Sure.” Calanthe said, knowing full well that Pavetta would not be calling.

\--

Meve had just finished changing into a tee shirt and jeans when Pavetta came walking downstairs in an oversized sweatshirt and leggings.

“Hey you.” Meve called softly. “How’d you sleep?”

“Fine.” Pavetta said with a shrug.

“So, how about we get some dinner and head down to the mall?”

At first, she was worried that Pavetta would go straight back up to her room. For a moment, tears shined in the girl’s eyes, but she blinked them away before they fell.

“Okay.” Pavetta said softly.

\--

As the minutes rolled by, Calanthe found it hard to concentrate. Her mind was too busy flitting from worrying about Pavetta as her stomach fluttered over Eist. She ended up staring blankly so long into the mirror that her mascara nearly dried out. Getting dressed seemed nearly impossible as everything she pulled out didn’t seem quite right for the occasion. Her skirts were too dressy, her blue jeans too casual.

“What is wrong with me?” Calanthe muttered to herself as she began to go through her clothing for the third time.

She settled on a tan camel sweater, black jeans, and red leather mules. Just as she finished switching her wallet and keys to the small bag she wanted to take tonight, she looked up through her living room window to see a white Audi pull into her driveway. She smiled when the door opened and Eist, dressed in a black sweater and dark jeans, began to take the steps to her door two at a time.

\--

Eist had never been to Midland Summit before. He had been right about the homes though. They were luxurious, but of modest size. Most of the homes were either two to three bedrooms, each with a decent sized yard and a two-car garage. There was something about Calanthe’s home though that was a little lusher than the rest. For starters, while the surrounding homes were all painted various shades of cream and blue, Calanthe’s home was painted black and white. It was a contrast that Eist would never have chosen, but now as he took the steps two at a time to her door, he realized just how much it worked.

The from door itself was black, and just below the peep hole was a brass lion head door knocker. He smirked, remembering the lion emblem of Cintran Architecture and Design. Just as Eist reached the door, it swung open slowly.

“Hey.” Calanthe said softly as she stepped back to allow him to enter.

“Hey.” Eist said. One look at Calanthe was all it took for him to grin from ear to ear. “You look nice.”

“Thanks.” Calanthe said with a chuckle. “Just give me a minute, I need to grab something from upstairs.”

Eist nodded. After enjoying watching the backside of her ascended the stairs, he turned around to see the far wall covered in pictures, most of which were of the same blonde girl from Calanthe’s office.

“That’s my daughter, Pavetta.” Eist turned around to see her walking towards him. “My pride and joy.”

Eist smiled. “Have things been going better for the two of you?”

Calanthe sighed. “Not really.”

Her tone was obvious. She was not in the mood to talk about her daughter any further.

“These pictures are nice. Some of them are the same ones from your office. Who took them?”

“I did. The black and white ones at least.”

“Really?” Eist said, stepping closer. “These are really good.”

“Thanks. I dabble in photography every now and again.”

Eist smiled as he stepped back from the paintings and closer towards Calanthe. “So, let’s see, you are an accomplished architect, you enjoy interior design, and you are also a photographer.”

“I’m a woman of many talents.” Calanthe joked as she motioned towards the door. “Come on, lets head to dinner.”

\--

“Alright, it’s your turn.” Calanthe said as she buckled her seat belt.

“My turn for what?” Eist asked as he pressed the ignition button before buckling his own seat belt.

“Tell me something about yourself. And it can’t be related to work.”

“Let’s see,” Eist said, strumming his thumbs across the steering wheel, “I like being on the water. My nephew and I go up to North Shore often.”

“My cousin lives there in the Manor District on the hill.”

“It seems you and your cousin both have a taste for nice houses.”

“Yeah.” Calanthe said lightly. “So, you just spend the day up their?”

“I have a house on the beach actually. My parents left it to me when they died.” Eist said.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Calanthe said softly.

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

“So how did you end up liking being on the water so much?”

“Well, the beach house is where my brother and sister were raised. Instead of a backyard, we had the ocean. Do you like the water?”

Calanthe let out a sigh. “I like looking at it.”

Eist glanced over at her and raised his brow.

“I can’t swim.” Calanthe muttered.

“Really?” Eist exclaimed. “You’re serious?”

“Yes.” She mumbled with a side eye to him. “And while we’re at it, I’ve never been on a boat either.”

“It seems I have my work cut out for me.”

Calanthe couldn’t stop the grin that followed and felt her stomach flutter when she glanced over to see Eist wink at her.

\--

Shopping had always been something that Pavetta enjoyed, so it came as a surprise to Meve that she was in such a poor mood that even a pair of Fendi shoes nor a Louis Vuitton bag seemed to interest her. Now as they sat in the Cheesecake Factory, Meve glanced up from her menu to see Pavetta’s menu still closed and her attention turned to her phone.

“Make sure you pick something to eat.”

“I’m not really hungry.”

Meve sighed as she set her menu down. “Pavetta, you need to eat.”

“Fine. I’ll get chicken tenders.” Mumbled Pavetta as she typed into her phone.

After the waiter took their order, Meve watched Pavetta carefully. The girl would hastily type into her phone, and seconds later her phone would light up with a response. Pavetta would then smirk before responding.

“So how long have you had a boyfriend?”

The question stunned Pavetta so much that she froze and dropped her phone onto the table.

“What are you talking about?” Pavetta asked shakily as she picked her phone up from where it had fallen on the floor.

“Pavetta, no one smiles like that when they receive a text message unless it’s from their boyfriend, or girlfriend for that matter.”

Pavetta glanced questionably at her Aunt. “I’m not talking to another girl.”

Meve smirked. “So, you are talking to your boyfriend then?”

“Anything I tell you; you’re just going to turn around and say to my mom.”

“Not necessarily.” Meve said. “But I am worried about you. You’ve been upset the whole weekend.”

“I have not.”

“I heard you crying in your room earlier, and you weren’t interested in the tote I showed you. And now the only thing that seems to make you smile is the phantom boy on the other end of your phone.”

“Maybe that’s because he’s the only person that makes me happy anymore.”

Meve sighed. “The only one?”

“Yes.” Pavetta said.

“What about your mother, or your friends, or Hell even me?”

Pavetta shrugged. “I can’t explain it. I am just happiest when I’m with him.”

Meve sighed again. “Are you in love?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Pavetta said coolly. “Because you’ll tell my mother about this entire conversation and I’ll be grounded for the rest of my life.”

“I’m not going to tell her.” Meve said. “But it would be a good idea if you did.”

“Why?” Pavetta asked. “She’s made it very clear that I can’t have a boyfriend.”

“Your mother just doesn’t want you to grow up.” Meve said. “And besides, she doesn’t think there is anyone on this Earth that is good enough for you.”

Pavetta rolled her eyes. “Sure. Or maybe it’s because she’s a control freak.”

Meve frowned. “That’s not fair.”

“No, what’s not fair is that my mom cares more about her job than she does me.”

“How could you say that?” Meve asked. “Of course she cares. She loves you.”

“I know she loves me, but all she cares about is work.”

“That’s not true.”

“And how would you know?” Pavetta snapped. “We see you two times a month and my mother only tells you what she wants you to hear. You don’t see how she controls me.”

“Then why is she letting you get a coffee with Beth every day after school? It doesn’t sound to me like she is always forcing you to be at home. And from what I hear, you are constantly in your room with the door shut when you are there.”

“That only just started happening. Besides, what am I supposed to do? Sit in the living room while she stares at her computer and types all of her stupid emails?”

Their food was set down then, which thankfully forced them to take a breath before either spoke again.

“Look, I may not live with you to constantly see what is going on, but what I do know is this: your mother has never been the best at showing affection. God knows why, but it has never been a skill that she has had. Her way of showing that she loves and cares for you is by providing for you, and that means working her ass off.”

Pavetta glanced down angrily at her plate. “My dad made time for me. And he told me that mom worked so much because she was miserable with her life.”

“Do you really want to talk about your father now?”

“Yes.” Pavetta said angrily. “It was mom that left him. It was mom that ruined…”

Meve sighed angrily as she all but slammed her silverware down. “Did your father also tell you that while he and your mother were still married, your mother came home and found him in their bed with another woman?”

“What?” Pavetta asked quietly.

“He didn’t mention that did he?” Meve asked. “Of course not. Your father wouldn’t admit to the shame of it and your mother, unbeknownst to you, is always trying to protect you. The truth is while your mother has admitted that she was not always the perfect wife, it was your father that betrayed her. So yes, Pavetta, your mother left your father. She was willing to put up with a lot, but not that.”

Meve waited for Pavetta to speak, but words didn’t come. Instead, she stared at her plate, her food still untouched.

“I know their divorce was hard, and I know his death was worse. I am not telling you this so you think of your father differently, but you need to know the truth. And the truth is your mother and father were not good for each other. While they had their good days, they were both manipulative, and your father was unfaithful. Now that he’s gone, your mother is doing the best she can as a single parent, which is not what she signed up for. She is doing everything she can to provide for you. What you deem as controlling, she thinks is keeping you safe.”

Pavetta blinked back her tears as she continued to stare.

“Did it ever occur to you that it brings her an immense amount of comfort to have you with her while she is, oh I don’t know, typing emails at eight o’clock at night to ensure the contracts keep rolling in so she can keep providing for you? I suggest you give your mother a break, and when you’re ready, start telling her how you feel. Now eat your food before it gets cold.”

Pavetta blinked as she looked up at her aunt. She picked up her fork then and managed to force down a few bites of food, only now she was less hungry than she was before.

\--

“Do you know what you’re getting?” Eist asked as they looked over their menus.

“I was thinking about swordfish. How about you?”

Eist smirked as he glanced up at her. “I was thinking the same thing actually.”

“Hmm.” Calanthe mused as the waiter came over to take their order.

After ordering, a breadbasket was brought over to them, and Eist found himself grinning more as Calanthe began to butter herself a wheat roll.

“What?” Calanthe asked when she glanced up and noticed him looking at her.

“Nothing.” Eist said as he took a roll for himself.

Calanthe took a bite before setting her roll back down. “Come on, out with it. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Eist chuckled. “I’ve noticed that whenever you do something, you put all your focus on that task. And when you do that, you narrow your eyes a bit and scrunch your brow. It’s just, I don’t know, sweet to watch.”

Her heart skipped a beat as she looked into Eist’s eyes.

“You are rather perceptive.”

“Well, it’s easy to be with you.”

The corners of Calanthe’s mouth began to turn upward as she glanced down, hoping to hide her smile that was beginning to become permanent.

“You don’t take compliments well, do you?” Eist asked gently.

“It’s not that.” Calanthe said as she glanced back up at him. “To be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve heard them is all.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Believe it. In truth, I don’t really get out much.”

“’Oh really?”

“Yeah. I’ve never really enjoyed dating. It always feels awkward and the conversations feel forced.”

Eist frowned. “Do things feel awkward now?”

Calanthe looked into his eyes again an felt her heartbeat began to quicken. Talking to Eist felt so natural that it alarmed her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had met someone and felt so comfortable with them as quickly as she did with Eist. There was something about him that was calming and exciting at the same time.

“Oddly enough, no. I actually feel comfortable now.”

“Good.” Eist said warmly.

“What about you? Do you date often?”

“I used to.” Eist said with a shrug, “But I’m tired of it now.”

“Tired of what?”

Eist shifted in his seat. “I’m tired of dating women that I could care less about having a conversation with.”

“I hope you’re at least enjoying talking to me.”

Eist smiled. “I am. I really am.”

The waiter returned then, this time carrying their drink order.

“Cheers.” Eist said as he clinked his beer glass against hers.

\--

The air felt thick as Calanthe glanced around the restaurant. It was just after midnight and they were nearly alone, save for two other couples finishing a late dinner. It almost felt as if she were moving in slow motion and then suddenly the world began to move all at once. She took a breath and glanced up at Eist whose eyes widened as he grinned. Calanthe smiled as a giggle escaped her lips.

They were both drunk, so much so that they had just finished laughing for nearly a minute straight but neither could remember why.

When the waiter came over to offer more, Eist waved him away before calling him back. “Actually, can you bring two glasses of water? And while you’re at it, can you call a cab as well?”

“Are you too drunk to drive?” Calanthe mused as she took another bite of her desert despite how full she already was.

“I may be, but your drunkier than me.”

The word “drunkier” caused Calanthe to burst into another fit of giggles while the waiter returned with the bill. After explaining that their cab would arrive in fifteen minutes, Eist pulled out his credit card.

“No, don’t.” Calanthe mumbled as she fumbled for her bag.

“Nope.” Eist said as he took a big gulp of water. “Don’t even think about it.”

“But how will I pay you back?” Calanthe asked as she pulled her wallet out.

“You can pay next time if you insist.” Eist said as he nudged her glass of water towards her.

Calanthe licked her lip while she picked up the glass. “Who said there will be a next time?”

Eist cocked his brow with a smirk. “Calanthe?”

“Yes?” She asked as she blinked heavily, trying to keep Eist in focus as she took a sip of water.

“Will you go on another date with me?”

“Fine.” Calanthe smirked. “But only because you asked so nicely.”

\--

Neither Eist nor Calanthe had given much thought to where they would go once they left. When the cab driver asked for the address, they both looked at each other questionably as they buckled their seat belts.

Finally, after a few awkward moments, Calanthe said quietly, “Give him your address.”

When they arrived in Eist’s driveway, they all but had to crawl out of the cab. Before they went inside, Calanthe tilted her head back. The air had chilled and felt good in her lungs as she took a deep breath. The moon was full that night, leaving everything covered in a soft, pale glow under the stars.

Eist had begun to walk up to the door, only to turn around and see Calanthe with her head still tilted back and her eyes closed. He smirked, enjoying how beautifully ethereal she looked in the moonlight. He turned then and walked back towards her quietly, careful to not disturb her peaceful state.

Despite how quiet he was, she heard him anyway, and as he neared Calanthe opened her eyes and whispered, “I can’t remember the last time I stopped to look at the sky.”

“Neither can I.” Eist said as he came to stand beside her.

Suddenly he began to feel very sober, almost jarringly so as he gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. He then reached down and took her hand in his. For a moment, he could see her tense, almost as if she were completely shocked at the notion of him wanting to hold her hand. Her tension was gone as quickly as it came and Eist smiled when Calanthe leaned against his shoulder as she continued to look at the sky.

They stayed that way for a while, silent and leaning on each other while Eist gently stroked her hand with his thumb. It took a while for Eist to work up his nerve, but finally he whispered, “Can I kiss you?”

Calanthe smirked wickedly as she turned her eyes from the stars to him. “It’s about time.”

When their lips touched, Calanthe felt a pleasant buzzing feeling begin to radiate through her. It was as if the whole world truly did stop, and for a moment, all that existed was them. His touch, his taste, his smell, every bit of him filled her senses, leaving her dizzy when he pulled away to look into her eyes.

Eist was grinning wider than she had ever seen before. He leaned forward again then, pressing the softest of kisses between her brow, then down her nose, on each cheek, the corner of her mouth, and then finally ending at her lips. She let out a sigh as she felt her body melt into him. When his tongue flicked against her lip, she let out a groan before opening her mouth eagerly. When their tongues began to dance, she let out a moan so loud that Eist pulled away again, this time chuckling.

“Come on, let’s get inside before we wake the neighbors.”

Calanthe only smacked him on the arm as she followed him inside.

After Eist tossed his keys in the bowl near the doorway, he turned around to see Calanthe fumbling with her phone.

“Is everything alright?” Eist asked.

“Yeah, I’m just trying to get an uber.”

“You’re leaving?”

Calanthe glanced up, noting the disappointment in his voice. “It’s too soon. I mean, I don’t… not on the first date at least.”

“No, no, no.” Eist whispered as he took a step towards her. “I didn’t bring you here for that.”

“Oh.” Calanthe said softly, feeling disappointed in a way as she glanced from him, to back down at her phone, to back up at him again.

“Not that I don’t want too.” Eist said hurriedly, “Trust me. But I think it’s best that we take our time. Besides, I have a feeling I may not be remembering much of tonight and being with you for the first time is not something I’ll want to forget.” Calanthe smiled but before she could speak, Eist continued, “At least stay for a little while. I don’t like the idea of you getting into a cab by yourself so late. But if you really want to go home, at least let me go with you and I’ll take a cab back here.”

Calanthe smiled as she dropped her phone back in her bag. “So, what do you want to do?”

Eist glanced around the living room until his eyes fell on the TV. “We could watch a movie.”

After kicking off their shoes, Eist and Calanthe sat on the couch. It didn’t take either one of them long to realize that they were not exactly comfortable in what they were wearing.

“Do you want to change into something else? I have to get out of these jeans.” Eist groaned as he stood.

“I, uh, don’t exactly have anything to change into.” Calanthe said.

Eist shrugged as he offered her his hand to help her stand. “You can borrow something of mine.”

\--

After digging in his drawers for a few moments, Eist settled on letting Calanthe borrow a pair of sweatpants and an old hoodie that had grown soft over the years. She borrowed some Vaseline from Eist, went upstairs, took her makeup off and changed into clothes that were far too big for her. First she cuffed the sleeves to the sweatshirt before rolling up the band of the sweatpants several times and cuffing the pant legs so they didn’t drag on the ground so much. After putting up her hair into a messy bun, she glanced in the mirror. Suddenly she felt self-conscious as she stared. She didn’t exactly feel very attractive with her hair messy and in oversized sweatpants.

“What movie do you want to watch?” Eist called through the door.

Calanthe sighed. Oh well, he might as well see her like this now. She opened the door then to see Eist leaning against the door frame with a tee shirt and pajama pants on. Somehow, in clothing only meant for sleeping, he managed to look so sexy that she fought back the urge to pounce on him. His white shirt fit him perfectly and it was easy to see the outlines of the muscles on his chest. His grey pajama pants also left little to be desired, showing off certain parts of him in a not-so-subtle way. When Eist looked up at her, he smiled.

With her makeup gone, her hair tied back, and clothing that was far too big for her, she managed to look absolutely adorable.

Eist padded across the room quickly until he stood in front of her.

“Comfortable?” He asked quietly.

“Mm hm.” Calanthe hummed as she tilted her head up towards him.

He leaned down then, pressing the softest of kisses to her lips before taking her gently by the hand and guiding her back downstairs.

“This is much better.” Eist said happily as they curled up together on the couch after kicking out the footrest. Calanthe all but let out a purr as Eist covered them both in a throw blanket while she nestled in beside him. “Alright, you pick.” Eist whispered as he signed into his Netflix account and handed her the remote.

“Do you like Braveheart?” Calanthe asked through a yawn.

“Sure.” Eist whispered as he hesitantly pressed a kiss to her temple as she found their movie.

Calanthe let out a soft moan as she leaned into him. “I have to admit that I wouldn’t have guessed that you would like a movie like Braveheart.”

“I love a good war movie.” Calanthe said quietly as she pressed play.

Eist chuckled as he gently kissed her again on the temple. Calanthe smiled as she turned and was pleasantly greeted fluttering kisses. Calanthe whispered, “Can I spend the night?”

“Of course.” Eist whispered as he began to press kisses to her brow, cheeks, and lips.

“Did I tell you that I’m really glad you called?” Calanthe murmured as she felt her body grow warm with desire and heavy with sleep as Eist gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled the throw blanket a little tighter.

“You did.” Eist chuckled lightly as he rested his head against hers. “I’m really glad I did too.”

Calanthe glanced at the clock just under the television. It was just after two in the morning. She took a deep breath, focusing on the sound of Eist’s heartbeat against her ear. Just as she started to drift off, she rolled into him, facing his chest as she curled up tighter.

“Goodnight.” Eist whispered softly as he gently rested his chin on top of her head.

He was only met by the sound of her breathing just before falling asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I clearly don't work in architecture or construction so if there is anything in this story that is wrong - let me apologize in advance.
> 
> As for the story, I've been thinking about writing a modern story set with these two for a while so here is my go at it.
> 
> Enjoy. :)


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